Chapter 271: Double Joy Arrives

In the spring of Year 62, the steps seemed firmer than in previous years. The effect of last year's life‑saving rain finally began to show in this new year.

The crops in the fields were thriving, ushering in a rare year of abundant harvest. Though far from prosperous, the suffocating famine clouds that had hung over us for nearly two years finally let in a few genuine rays of sunshine.

In the Steel Rolling Mill's canteen, the broth that could now reveal a silhouette had finally thickened a bit; the proportion of bran and wild greens in the dumpling stuffing decreased, and occasionally one could even see specks of oil and a piece or two of fatty meat in the vegetables.

The workers carried their lunch boxes, and for the first time in a long while a hint of a smile appeared on their faces; they no longer ate in a frantic, gulp‑down manner fearing someone would snatch their food, but with a touch of composure. The roar of the machines also seemed to regain its vigor.

This burst of spring quietly drifted into the Siheyuan.

In the Xi Kua Yuan, Li Ping'an watched Lin Xueqing's gently rounded belly, his gaze full of tenderness. Yaozong, three years old, could already run across the ground, shouting "dad" and "mom." Now another child was on the way, an unmistakable embellishment to the improving year.

"Is this reaction big?" Li Ping'an asked softly, supporting his wife as they sunbathed in the courtyard.

"It's fine, a bit easier than when we carried Yaozong," Lin Xueqing said, her face radiant with maternal glow, smiling, "It's just that this little one is so robust; having him makes us feel constantly hungry." With hope in life, even the hardships of pregnancy seemed sweet.

In the Central Courtyard, the Sha Zhu Family was equally jubilant. Ma Dongmei's belly also showed signs of pregnancy; Sha Zhu bustled around his daughter‑in‑law, his full beard unable to hide his silly joy.

"Hey! I, He Yuzhu, am going to be a dad again! This time it'll be a big chubby boy!" he brandished a large ladle, bustling in his little kitchen, the clatter of pots and pans sounding like a lively melody.

He and Li Ping'an's family were on good terms; with both families' daughters‑in‑law pregnant, they had many shared topics, and their hearty laughter often echoed in the courtyard.

This vigorous vitality starkly contrasted with the dead‑weight atmosphere of Xu Damao's backyard. Xu Damao watched other families' wives and children warm on the heated kang, then looked at Wang Cuihua beside him—broad‑shouldered, waist thick, holding him tightly—and felt as if a pot of five flavors had been tipped over: every taste present, yet none sweet. He could only bite his teeth in secret and swallow them, continuing his hopeless, stifling days.

However, the greatest surprise came from his sister Li Pingle.

That afternoon, Li Ping'an had just arrived home when Lin Xueqing greeted him with a flushed face, her voice trembling with excitement: "Ping'an! Pingle has given birth! Jianghe just sent a messenger with news!"

"Gave birth? So soon? Mother and child safety?" Li Ping'an's heart tightened.

"Ping'an! All safe!" Lin Xueqing grabbed his arm, her voice quivering, "It's a dragon‑phoenix twin! One boy, one girl!"

Dragon‑phoenix twins!

Li Ping'an was first stunned, then a surge of immense joy rose in his heart, and even his usually calm face broke into a radiant smile. In this era that values many children and blessings, having both, a son and a daughter, is a tremendous fortune!

"Good! That's wonderful!" he said emphatically, the stone in his heart finally set down.

After the ecstatic joy, practical problems followed. The big communal courtyard where the Chen family lived was already cramped; now with two new mouths, two children, that small room would barely allow a turn. How would his sister do the confinement month? Where would the children crawl later?

Li Ping'an pondered briefly, then said to Lin Xueqing, "Prepare a bit; I'll step out for a while."

He didn't go straight to his sister's house; instead he turned and went to the Steel Rolling Mill, knocking on Deputy Factory Director Li Huaide's office door.

"Factory Director Li, I have a favor to ask," Li Ping'an got straight to the point, explaining the situation of his sister Chen Jianghe's family, emphasizing the difficulties and that Chen Jianghe himself had consistently performed well in the plant.

Li Huaide, in good spirits due to the plant's improving production, and recalling Li Ping'an's past capture of enemy agents, assistance in shutting down the black market, and their unspoken mutual understanding, readily approved a note—allocating a vacant three‑room house with a small yard in the staff housing area to Chen Jianghe.

Holding the note, Li Ping'an felt largely reassured. With independent housing, his sister's family finally had space to settle and raise their children.

Then he found a pretext to send Lin Xueqing away, returned to the Xi Kua Yuan, and with a thought, retrieved from the Spiritual Spring Space a bright‑feathered, vigorous old hen, tied its legs with a grass rope, covered the basket with old cloth, and hurried toward Chen Jianghe's home.

Arriving at the familiar big communal courtyard, before even entering, he heard the clear cries of a baby echoing inside, rising and falling, full of the force of life.

Chen Jianghe was flustered, boiling water at the stove, and upon seeing his elder brother‑in‑law arrive, felt as if a savior had come; his honest face showed both joy and bewilderment: "Brother, you're here! Look at this…"

Li Ping'an handed him the housing note: "The plant is looking after you; we've allocated a house for you, three rooms with a yard at the east end of the staff area. Once your wife finishes confinement, move there."

Chen Jianghe took the note, read its contents, his hand trembling, his eyes instantly reddening, his lips quivering, and after a long pause managed to choke out, "Thank… thank you, brother!"

"Family doesn't need to mention this," Li Ping'an waved his hand, passing the cloth‑covered basket, "This old hen is for Pingle's soup to nourish her body and promote lactation."

Chen Jianghe took the heavy basket, lifted a corner of the cloth, and seeing the vigorous old hen, was so moved he didn't know what to say. Nowadays eggs are precious, let alone a laying hen! This friendship is too weighty!

Li Ping'an entered the inner room; Li Pingle's complexion was still a bit pale, but she was in good spirits, leaning on the kang with two swaddles beside her. Seeing her brother, tears instantly welled up—joyful tears.

"Brother…"

"Don't cry; you can't cry during confinement." Li Ping'an stepped to the kang's edge, looking down at the two tiny, rosy faces, his heart melting. These were his nephew and niece.

"Have the children been named?" he asked softly.

Chen Jianghe followed in, rubbing his hands, his face glowing with the excitement and a hint of shyness of a first‑time father: "We've chosen names after several nights of thought. Brother, please listen. The son is named Chen Anbang, hoping he will one day bring stability to his family and become useful to the nation. The daughter is named Li Anning, taking her mother's surname, and we hope she lives a peaceful, tranquil, joyful life."

Chen Anning, Li Anning.

Li Ping'an recited them silently in his mind, nodding. The names were well chosen, bearing the era's spirit (Anbang) and a simple wish for peace and joy; moreover, giving the daughter her mother's surname showed generosity and friendship, deepening his approval of his brother‑in‑law.

"Good names," he affirmed, "Anbang, Anning—both will have bright futures."

He sat at his sister's house for a while, watching Chen Jianghe, though busy, attend to his wife and children in an orderly way, and seeing his sister's satisfied yet weary smile, feeling full of contentment.

When he left, the sunset was perfect, golden afterglow spilling over the mottled courtyard walls and onto Li Ping'an's heart. The grain harvest was abundant, quotas restored, the plant's meals improved, his wife and his sister's friends were pregnant one after another, his sister joyfully bore dragon‑phoenix twins, and the housing issue was resolved…

These successive joys, like the gentle spring rain, quietly moistened the once‑parched land and hearts.

Although the road ahead remains long and life never lacks scheming and hardship, at this moment hope, like a seed, sprouts in the hearts of every diligent soul, quietly taking root.

New life brought a new overture. And these days seemed, amid the cries, laughter, and the mundane of firewood, rice, oil, and salt, to slowly turn a hopeful new page. Li Ping'an walked home with a light step, feeling that this spring of Year 62 was especially warm.